Air gage



1966 w. A. MINIX 3,263,490

AIR GAGE Original Filed June 25, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. WILL/4M,4. MIN/X 17' TERA E75 1966 w. A. MINIX 3,263,490

AIR GAGE Original Filed June 25, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. lY/LUAMA. MIN/X United States Patent 3,263,490 AIR GAGE William A. Minix,Detroit, Mich., assignor to Freeland Gauge Company, Detroit, Mich.

@riginal application June 25, 1963, Ser. No. 290,526, now

Patent No. 3,170,318, dated Feb. 23, 1965. Divided and this applicationNov. 25, 1964, Ser. No. 413,682

2 Claims. (Cl. 7337.5)

This application, a division of Ser, No. 290,526 of June 25, 1963, nowPatent Number 3,170,318, discloses a cabinet type multiple column airflow gage, one important element of which is a sectional valve body unitcomprising side by side separate valve bodies secured together into aunit, each having its own built in bleed valve and by pass valve, andits own air tube, return air flow conduit, gage element, outlet conduit,and air supply conduit, with such unit sup-porting cabinet sides in turnsupporting other parts of the device.

A preferred form is shown in the following specification and appendeddrawings.

In these drawings:

FIG. 1 is a partly broken away front elevational view of the present airflow gage device providing a plurality of separate indicating columnsfor a plurality of simultaneous gaging operations.

FIG. 2 is a partly broken away rear elevational view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a partly broken away plan view thereof, to an enlarged scale.

FIG. 4 is a vertical section on lines 44 of FIG. 1, to an enlargedscale.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged section of the valve body per se.

The air gage housing or cabinet shown includes base 11 upon which ismounted a sectional valve body comprising adjacent separate valve bodies12 with end spacers 15, and secured to the base by screws 17. Pins 13-14and fasteners 16 connect the separate valve bodies 12.

Cabinet side members 18 connect to and are connected by said valve bodyunit 10 by fasteners 19. Manifold covers 20 are secured at 21 tosides18, and include circular bosses 22 which project within opposite ends ofair manifold 23, sealed by O-rings 24. Nipple 25, FIG. 4 supplies airunder pressure to manifold 23.

The cabinet includes rear wall 26 secured by fasteners 27 to manifoldcovers 20. Removable top 28 extends along the upper back portion of thehousing as at 28 and includes a depending front Wall portion 29.

An upper tube support block 30 with end mounting brackets 31 is betweenside walls 18 and is secured thereto by fasteners 31, FIG. 2. Top 28 issecured to tube support 30 by fasteners 60".

Tube support 30 has longitudinally spaced vertical bores, FIG. 4, withineach of which is adjustably positioned a tube clamp 32, Whoseundersurface is recessed to receive gasket 33 which retains the upperend of upright glass tube 35. Clamp screw 36 threads down through tubesupport 30 and operatively engages clamp 32 which may be further securedby set screw 36'.

Valve body 12, FIG. 4, includes seat 37 and gakset 33' seating the lowerend of tube 35.

Seat 37 has an inlet 38 which projects down into intake chamber 44,which has an inlet 43 in body 12.

Though a plurality of separately operated pressure regulators are shownat 39, FIGS. 2 and 3, mounted upon rear wall 26, only one such regulatoris described in connection with FIG. 4. Said pressure regulator isconnected with manifold 24 by conduit 40. Delivery conduit 41 connectspressure regulator 39 and inlet fitting 42 of valve body 12 forsupplying air under predetermined pressure to intake chamber 44 throughinlet 43.

3 263,490 Patented August 2, 1966 ice Float 45, FIG. 4, is movablypositioned within tube 35. Axially arranged bumper 34 at the upper endof tube is apertured to permit passage of air through passage 46 inclamp 32 and out through return conduit 47, which returns air to inlet48 of valve body 12 and to delivery chamber 49. Through fitting 50' saidair passes through conduit 50 to gaging element 51 which has one or moreleakage orifices 52. Each of the valve bodies 12 has an intake chamber44, a delivery chamber 49, with connected gaging parts 50, 50', 51;conduits 41, 47; and tube 35.

A longitudinally apertured valve core 54 is snugly fitted to the rearend of a bore B of the valve body 12 to cooperate With valve sleeve 53which is adjustably threaded into bore B of valve body 12 and whichincludes at its outer end on the exterior of the body a knob K formanual rotation. The inner end of valve sleeve 53 extends around areduced part of valve core 54. Teflon plastic seals 64 are provided.

As shown, valve sleeve 53 has been rotated and moved outwardly partiallyfrom core 54 to provide a bypass aperture 55 by which some of the airdelivered to intake chamber 44 is by-passed into delivery chamber 49 anddoes not pass upwardly through tube 35.

An air bleed valve includes spindle 56 which is threaded within the boreof valve core 54, and is located within valve sleeve 53, and outwardlythereof terminates in the knurled adjusting head 57.

The inner tapered end 58 of spindle 56 projects into a bore 59 of avalve seat 60 threaded into the rear end of valve core 54 and sealed at61.

The amount of air bleed is determined by rotative adjustment of spindle56-57 and the corresponding valve element 58 with respect to seat 60.

In the present construction and normally where there are a series ofbores or other part dimensions to be checked on a workpiece such as theblock of an engine or the like, there are provided a series of gagingelements 51, one corresponding to each valve body 12 and tube 35 andfloat 45.

The air manifold 23, FIG. 4, provides a supply of air under apredetermined pressure which may be used by all of the gagingassemblies.

The air flows into intake chamber 44 and up through tube 35, with float45 therein responding to the movement of air and thus by its position intube 35 indicating the rate of flow of air.

In order to visibly indicate this effect, due to air leaking throughgage element 51-52, there is provided a suitable upright scale 64.

Side walls 18 mount brackets at 66 for supporting a background plate 67behind tubes 35. Plate 67 mounts spacers 68 which mount scales 64, 69,using fasteners 70.

Conclusion It will be seen that the device includes a valve body unit 10FIG. 3, comprising separate valve bodies 12 connected by pins 13-14,each valve body 12 containing valves 53 and 56; each body 12 having atube 35 leading to tube support 30; each body 12 having an air returnconduit 47, an outlet conduit 50, and a gage element 51; and thatcabinet side members 18 connect to and are connected by the valve bodyunit 10, tube support 30 and manifold 23; the latter having conduits 40-41, one set 40-41 for each body 12.

I claim:

1. A cabinet type multiple column gage comprising a single elongatedbase;

an elongated sectional valve body unit horizontally disposed and mountedon and secured to said base, and comprising a plurality of separateshort valve bodies side by side and closely adjacent; with locking pinspassing horizontally through these valve bodies to connect them to oneanother and thus form said valve body unit; with each valve bodycontaining a bleed valve and a bypass valve;

a horizontally disposed elongated single air tube support well abovesaid valve body unit and parallel to it;

vertical air tubes or columns, one for each valve body,

connecting said valve body unit to said support;

gage elements, one for each valve body;

outlet conduits, one for each valve body and each gage element, witheach conduit connecting a valve body and a gage element;

cabinet side members connected at their lower ends to the ends of andthus connected by said valve body unit; and connected at their upperends to the ends of and thus connected by said support;

an elongated single air supply manifold parallel to but alongside saidvalve body unit and having air supply conduits, one for each valve body,connecting the valve body unit to said manifold;

said manifold being connected at its ends to and thus connecting saidside members.

2. The combination of claim 1 including air pressure regulators mountedon said base, one for each valve body connecting the valve body unit tosaid manifold.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 11/1916 Reyam eta1. 23770 X 6/1956 Aller 73-373 FOREIGN PATENTS 802,454 10/1958 GreatBritain.

tion and Control Equipment, received, US. Patent Office, December 6,1961, 4 pages.

LOUIS R. PRINCE, Primary Examiner.

20 DAVID SCHONBERG, F. H. THOMSON, Assistant Examiners.

1. A CABINET TYPE MULTIPLE COLUMN GAGE COMPRISING A SINGLE ELONGATEDBASE; AN ELONGATED SECTIONAL VALVE BODY UNIT HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED ANDMOUNTED ON AND SECURED TO SAID BASE, AND COMPRISING A PLURALITY OFSEPARATE SHORT VALVE BODIES SIDE BY SIDE AND CLOSELY ADJACENT; WITHLOCKING PINS PASSING HORIZONTALLY THROUGH THESE VALVE BODIES TO CONNECTTHEM TO ONE ANOTHER AND THUS FORM SAID VALVE BODY UNIT; WITH EACH VALVEBODY CONTAINING A BLEED VALVE AND A BY-PASS VALVE; A HORIZONTALLYDISPOSED ELONGATED SINGLE AIR TUBE SUPPORT WELL ABOVE SAID VALVE BODYUNIT AND PARALLEL TO IT; VERTICAL AIR TUBES OR COLUMNS, ONE FOR EACHVALVE BODY, CONNECTING SAID VALVE BODY UNIT TO SAID SUPPORT; GAGEELEMENTS, ONE FOR EACH VALVE BODY; OUTLET CONDUITS, ONE FOR EACH VALVEBODY AND EACH GAGE ELEMENT, WITH EACH CONDUIT CONNECTING A VALVE BODYAND A GAGE ELEMENT; CABINET SIDE MEMBERS CONNECTED AT THEIR LOWER ENDSTO THE ENDS OF AND THUS CONNECTED BY SAID VALVE BODY UNIT; AND CONNECTEDAT THEIR UPER ENDS TO THE ENDS OF AND THUS CONNECTED BY SAID SUPPORT; ANELONGATED SINGLE AIR SUPPLY MANIFOLD PARALLEL TO BUT ALONGSIDE SAIDVALVE BODY UNIT AND HAVING AIR SUPPLY CONDUITS, ONE FOR EACH VALVE BODY,CONNECTING THE VALVE BODY UNIT TO SAID MANIFOLD; SAID MANIFOLD BEINGCONNECTED AT ITS ENDS TO AND THUS CONNECTING SAID SIDE MEMBERS.